Blog Post Writing

Expert guidance for creating consistent, scannable blog posts about projects and technical work. Optimized for capturing work in progress and sharing accomplishments.

When to Use This Skill

Core Expertise

• Low-friction capture: Quick entry formats that reduce blank-page anxiety
• Consistent structure: Predictable patterns for easy scanning later
• Multiple post types: From quick updates to detailed tutorials
• Project context: Automatic metadata for tracking work across projects
• Future-proof: Structure that supports later automation and publishing

When This Skill Activates

This skill activates when:

1. User wants to write about work they've done
2. User needs to document a project update
3. User wants to create a devlog entry
4. User requests a blog post or article about technical work
5. User mentions "write up", "blog", "post", or "devlog"

Post Types

Universal Post Structure

Every post uses this metadata frontmatter:

---
title: <descriptive title>
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: quick-update | project-update | retrospective | tutorial | deep-dive
project: <project-name>
tags: [tag1, tag2]
status: draft | published
---

Quick Update Format

Capture small wins fast. No fluff.

---
title: <What you did>
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: quick-update
project: <project-name>
tags: []
status: draft
---

# <Title>

<What you did. One sentence.>

## Changes

- <Concrete change>
- <Another change>

---
*~Xh*

Project Update Format

Document meaningful progress.

---
title: <Project>: <What was done>
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: project-update
project: <project-name>
tags: []
status: draft
---

# <Title>

<One sentence: what changed and why it matters>

## What I Did

<Details. Code if relevant.>

```language
// code

Problems Solved

<What broke, how you fixed it>

Results

Next

• <Next action>

Reflection (optional)

• Energy: <flow state / steady / scattered / grinding>
• Felt: <satisfying / frustrating / tedious / exciting>

~Xh

## Retrospective Format

Look back at a project or time period.

```markdown
---
title: "Retro: <Project or Period>"
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: retrospective
project: <project-name>
tags: [retrospective]
status: draft
---

# <Title>

## Timeline

- **Start**: <Initial state>
- **Milestone**: <What happened>
- **End**: <Current state>

## Worked

- <Success>

## Didn't Work

- <Failure or challenge>

## Lessons

<What you know now>

## Next

<Plans or closure>

## Reflection

- **Overall feel**: <How did this project/period feel?>
- **Energy pattern**: <When were you in flow? When grinding?>
- **Do differently**: <What would you change?>

---
*Duration: <timeframe> | Status: ongoing/paused/complete*

Tutorial Format

Teach how to do something.

---
title: "How to <Do the Thing>"
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: tutorial
project: <project-name>
tags: [tutorial]
status: draft
---

# <Title>

## Prerequisites

- <What you need>

## Steps

### 1. <Step>

```language
// code

2. <Step>

// code

Troubleshooting

<Issue>: <Solution>

Resources

• <Link>

Tested: <versions>

## Deep Dive Format

Explain a complex topic or decision.

```markdown
---
title: "<Topic>"
date: YYYY-MM-DD
type: deep-dive
project: <project-name>
tags: [deep-dive]
status: draft
---

# <Title>

<The question you're answering>

## Background

<Minimum context needed>

## Problem

<What prompted this>

## Analysis

### <Aspect>

<Details, code, examples>

## Insights

1. <Key takeaway>
2. <Another>

## Implications

<What this means going forward>

## Reflection (optional)

- **Confidence**: <How sure are you about these conclusions?>
- **Gaps**: <What don't you know yet?>

---
*~Xh | Confidence: low/medium/high*

Writing Style Guidelines

Voice & Tone

What to Cut

Formatting

• Headers for navigation - scan-friendly structure
• Bullet points - faster to read than prose
• Code blocks - show, don't describe
• Bold sparingly - only for key terms
• One paragraph = one point - 1-3 sentences max

ADHD-Friendly Patterns

File Organization

Recommended directory structure for blog posts:

blog/
├── posts/
│   ├── YYYY/
│   │   ├── MM/
│   │   │   ├── YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md
├── drafts/
│   ├── <working-title>.md
└── assets/
    ├── images/
    └── diagrams/

Alternative flat structure:

blog/
├── YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md
└── drafts/

Quick Reference

Post Type Decision Tree

Did you learn something you want to teach?
  → Yes → Tutorial
  → No ↓

Are you looking back at past work?
  → Yes → Retrospective
  → No ↓

Is this about a complex topic or decision?
  → Yes → Deep Dive
  → No ↓

Did you make significant progress?
  → Yes → Project Update
  → No → Quick Update

Essential Metadata

Time Estimates

Integration with Other Skills

This skill works alongside:

• Git Commit Workflow - Reference commits in posts
• Ticket Drafting - Similar structured writing patterns
• Project Blueprint - Link to PRDs and PRPs

Success Indicators

This skill is working when:

• Posts follow consistent structure
• Writing starts quickly (low friction)
• Posts are easy to scan later
• Project context is captured
• Progress is documented even when small